The Benefits of Blogging for Freelance Writers
A blog is a great tool for prospective online writers because it is free, easy, and great practice. The number one thing you can do for yourself when attempting to get into a freelancing career is write regularly. That means you need to find something to write about (or someone to pay you).
Since thinking of things to write out of thin air is not the easiest thing in the world and because you’re not going to be able to get people to pay you just yet (we’re still assuming you have no references), blogging is your best bet. Here are a few things that blogging does for a prospective writer:
Builds a Portfolio
When you first start out, you have absolutely nothing to work with. You won’t have any work to draw upon except for some old high school or college papers and if you’re older, you may not have written anything in years. A blog addresses these things by providing you with an outlet to build a portfolio. For this reason, you need to watch what you write about (no profanity and always write with the idea that a potential client might read it someday), and make sure to write constantly – if you write a post a day for three months you’ll have 90 posts to draw from for inspiration and samples later on.
Creates an Audience
When you blog regularly, people will eventually start to read what you write. They will stumble upon your blog through search engines, blog databases, and readers and will either be intrigued or bored by what you say. Either way, their feedback will help you develop your writing style and engage an active audience about your writing.
Develops a Style
If you have not been writing for a few years, blogging can be an invaluable tool to help reestablish your writing style. Many people don’t spend much time writing in their careers and if they do it’s too dry to count as a style. Writing blog posts and articles will require a certain flare and style that will become uniquely yours.
Fine Tunes Grammar and Spelling
If you haven’t been writing or even if you have and haven’t had to sell or submit anything for review, fine tuning your fundamentals is an essential part of the process. Learning the ins and outs of grammar and spelling will save you a ton of time and energy when you start submitting your work for money.
Develops Contacts
Having connections is a huge part of being a successful freelance writer. Clients will recommend you to other clients, give you repeat work and help you find new clients if you develop a working relationship with them early. Start taking down email addresses, developing contacts and getting to know people online through your blog – you never know when those contacts will come in handy.
Builds Up Typing Speed and Efficiency
By getting yourself to type a certain amount of text every day you will quickly build up a more efficient, higher quality typing speed and efficiency that will allow you to make more money, turn around projects faster and maintain higher quality that will make clients happier. Less edits and fast turnaround equals lots of repeat business and the ability to ask for higher rates.
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